What a tragedy for Canada! The National Postwas a good news source with some excellent columnists but this explains the change. We just removed it from our recommended links.
The Canadian National Post, which until the advent of SUN news network was thought to be the most conservative national mainstream media outlet in the country, has shocked conservatives by apologizing for running a pro-family advertisement. Moreover, the National Post says it will be donating the thousands of dollars paid for the ad by the pro-family group to a homosexual activist group.
The ad, sponsored by the Institute for Christian Values, depicted a large picture of a little girl with the header, “Please! Don’t confuse me.” Below the photo, the youngster said, “I’m a girl. Don’t teach me to question if I’m a boy, transsexual, transgendered, intersexed or two spirited.” The ad specifically addressed the Toronto District School Board’s policy of forbidding parents to opt out of its pro-homosexual curriculum.
Over 50 Christian churches have been shut down or demolished in Indonesia since January 2010, according to the Jakarta Christian Communication Forum. In most cases, the closing of churches has followed protests by Islamic fundamentalists.
3% of the nation’s 228.5 million people are Catholics, according to Vatican statistics. 6% are Protestant, and 86% are Muslim.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum suggested that Florida’s plan to move its presidential primary up to January is a ploy to benefit Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.
“What I believe is going on is somebody in Florida is shilling for Mitt Romney, and probably Rick Perry,” Mr. Santorum said on Fox News Thursday. “They want to shorten the playing field now that these guys are ahead. I’m sure they’d like to have the election tomorrow. So by moving up the calendar, you help the favorites.”
The financial news of the week again is about the eurozone and we are seeing lots of entities come up with lots of possible solutions about how to solve the eurozone problem. They all of course rest on what to do about Greece. The problem is, they are coming from the wrong angle. From STRATFOR’s point of view, Greece does not have a particularly bright future as a state before the eurozone crisis is taken into account.
Pope Benedict XVI arrives in his Popemobile to celebrate the open air mass in Erfurt Source: AP
In an interview with the Kath.net news agency sent to CNA for publication, German Catholic reporter Peter Seewald said the recent papal trip to Germany was a victory for the humility and message of the Pope.
In the interview, Seewald, author of “Light of the World,” described the Pope’s visit as “a small miracle” because “shortly before there was a very aggressive, anti-clerical assault by the media.”
The Obama State Department is funding mosques overseas in countries that are sponsoring terrorism, even providing internet services in some cases and we, the American tax payers are footing the bill for this. If this does not anger you to get rid of this evil administration, then you deserve what they have in store for you.
Retired Archbishop Philip Hannan of New Orleans died on September 29 at the age of 98, after a long illness.
Born in Washington, DC, Philip Hannan was ordained to the priesthood there in 1939. During World War II he served as a paratrooper chaplain. He became an auxiliary bishop of Washington in 1956. He became a confidant of President John F. Kennedy, and was hand-picked by the president's widow to deliver the eulogy at Kennedy's funeral in November 1963. (Boston's Cardinal Richard Cushing was the celebrant for the funeral Mass.)
Appointed to head the New Orleans archdiocese in 1965, Archbishop Hannan retired from that post in 1988 at the age of 75.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
"But what is an Angel? Sacred Scripture and the Church's tradition enable us to discern two aspects. On the one hand, the Angel is a creature who stands before God, oriented to God with his whole being. All three names of the Archangels end with the word "El", which means "God". God is inscribed in their names, in their nature. Their true nature is existing in his sight and for him. In this very way the second aspect that characterizes Angels is also explained: they are God's messengers. They bring God to men, they open heaven and thus open earth. Precisely because they are with God, they can also be very close to man. Indeed, God is closer to each one of us than we ourselves are. The Angels speak to man of what constitutes his true being, of what in his life is so often concealed and buried. They bring him back to himself, touching him on God's behalf. In this sense, we human beings must also always return to being angels to one another."
Fla. looking at moving its date to Jan. 31; S.C.'s probably earlier.
South Carolina appears headed for another January presidential primary, as Republicans jockey to stay ahead of Florida and other states trying to capitalize on the exposure and economic impact that comes with early voting.
Whatever problems Texas Gov. Rick Perry faces are his own doing. He debated poorly, failed to advance a specific agenda and stubbornly stuck to extreme ideas in a book that contains ideas unacceptable even to GOP primary voters. But the instrument of his downfall may have been Rick Santorum.
It was Santorum who boxed him about the ears in successive debates on mandatory HPV vaccinations and in-state tuition breaks to illegal immigrants. Coming at Perry from the right, his criticisms were particularly effective.
I asked Gary Bauer, one of the most influential of the Christian conservative leaders, about Santorum. He told me, “He has been impressive in the debates. Eventually one person will emerge as the alternative to Romney. I think Santorum could easily become that alternative, and many social conservatives would agree.”
Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the Canadian Parliament on September 22. He delivered one of the most thoughtful and eloquent reflections on the world economic crisis that we have heard. This is what a world leader should sound like, and it will be reassuring when -- as in the days of Reagan, Thatcher and Mulroney -- conservative leaders of the United States, Great Britain and Canada are once again working together to solve the world's problems and securing peace and freedom. Hat tip to Piddingworth.
In a new Harris Poll, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul beats President Obama 51 percent to 49 percent in a general election race.
“This is yet another poll that clearly proves how competitive Ron Paul is against the sitting President,” said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton. “Dr. Paul is making strides, affirming that the American people are looking for conviction instead of the typical status quo rhetoric being offered by establishment candidates.”
These results come just a few weeks after a Reuters/Ipsos survey showed Ron Paul polling within striking distance of President Obama among registered voters. Furthermore, a late August Rasmussen poll showed him within 1 percent of President Obama in a head-to-head matchup.
Another recent Gallup survey, conducted August 17-18, shows Paul only 2 percentage points behind Obama in a general election match-up. In a similar head-to-head survey from last year done by Rasmussen, Dr. Paul drew a statistical dead heat with the President. And earlier this year in a survey by CNN, he did the best out of the other Republicans put up against Obama in a head-to-head poll.
They know a terrible day of reckoning is on the horizon for their party when they start talking like this. Obama has found the United States Constitution "negative," flawed and deficient; Democrat Governor Bev Perdue of North Carolina wants to tear it up:
"You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that. The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines. It's a little bit more contentious now but it's not impossible to try to do what's right in this state. You want people who don't worry about the next election."
On 21 September 2010, Benedict XVI officially declared that the west needed a "new evangelisation" . This was news in itself. It was viewed as an admission of the weakness of the Catholic church, and not a temporary one; and the acknowledgement that today's Catholicism represents a minority in western countries, and a shrinking one. But in a more general perspective, this was a major "geo-religious" step for the pontiff.
We received an unsolicited robo conference call tonight from Rick Perry and his South Carolina campaign organization. Like his vaccination mandate for little girls, it was an opt-out, not an opt-in phone call. Hosted by former state party chairman Katon Dawson, the call was apparently directed to several hundred GOP activists in South Carolina. It seems to have been motivated by the need to answer all the questions he was incapable of answering without a script during the debate in Orlando last week.
Perry attempted to explain why Texas provides a $22,000 annual tuition discount for the children of illegal aliens; why he opposes securing the border with a wall or fence; and why he attempted to mandate that every 11 year-old girl in Texas receive a costly and controversial vaccine made by campaign contributor Merck Corp. At the end of rambling, incoherent explanations, he still seems to us soft on illegal immigration, someone who would continue to be fast and loose with taxpayers' dollars, and one who fails to understand why Americans are appalled by an executive fiat mandating that citizens of our Republic do anything, much less have their 11-year-old daughters vaccinated for sexually transmitted diseases.
There was no talk about ending America's undeclared, unconstitutional wars. He wants an amendment to the Constitution requiring Congress to balance the federal budget, but we didn't hear anything about the budget he would propose. He's for "pushin the personal rates down, pushin the corporate rates down," but other than eliminating the U. S. Department of Education, there was no indication as to how federal spending would be reduced and the budget balanced by a Perry administration
When all was said and done, we were left wondering:
how, after 8 years of the Reagan presidency, could this self-proclaimed "conservative" chair Al Gore's campaign in Texas?
how and why would the Governor of one of America's most conservative states accept an invitation to attend a Bilderberg meeting?
how and why would a Texas governor disregard property rights and support the NAFTA superhighway project that was opposed by the Texas GOP Platform? If, as he claims, he can't be bought for $5000, what was his price for supporting a project opposed by most Democrats and Republicans in Texas?
why does one sponsor a major prayer jamboree days before announcing one's candidacy and yet fail to contribute anything to one's own church for several years, and give less than 1% of one's income in other years, according to 10 years of tax returns?
how does a purported "conservative" nearly double the cost of state government and more than double its debt?
do all those illegal aliens that manage to slip into Texas each and every day have anything to do with the fact that Texas has doubled in only 4 years the number of residents earning the minimum wage?
The Obama administration seems to be going out of its way to offend a key group of voters who swept the president into office three years ago.
The Washington Post had this to say about this crucial voting bloc: “American Catholics are the ultimate swing voters, switching between Republicans and Democrats alike. Representing approximately one in four U.S. voters, Catholics make up the largest single religious voting bloc in American politics.”
We will endorse one of the GOP presidential candidates in the next week, but under no circumstances would we ever cast a vote for Rick Perry. If America is bound and determined to have evil leadership, we would rather have that evil continue to flow from the opposition party than from a President of our own party. Wake up America and look at the record, not just the rhetoric.
Sunlit Uplands is delighted to present a superb BBC documentary series on the history of England. Beautifully told by Michael Wood, it is the story of one place through the whole of English history. That place is the Village of Kibworth, Leicestershire, in the heart of the English countryside.
We will present all 6 episodes of this series over the next 5 Saturdays. We think you will find this series very interesting and enjoyable.
We were confident after the last GOP presidential candidates debate that the more people see of the sleazy Texas governor, the more they will gravitate to the real conservatives in the race. We didn't expect Perry's meltdown to come quite so soon. Last night the darling of the Bilderbergers defended giving the children of illegal aliens in-state tuition discounts of $22,000 per year, while American citizens from neighboring states pay the full freight. In addition to facilitating the illegal invasion of cheap labor for his corporate friends, his dim-witted, inarticulate performance is fast making him Texas toast.
We repeat, America can't afford a President who will make George W. Bush look like the bright, articulate President from Texas.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has written as President of the US Bishops' Conference to Barack Obama, telling the US President that he risks creating “a national conflict between Church and State of enormous proportions” if he undermines traditional marriage.
Dear Mr. President:
I write with a growing sense of urgency about recent actions taken by your Administration that both escalate the threat to marriage and imperil the religious freedom of those who promote and defend marriage. This past spring the Justice Department announced that it would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, a decision strongly opposed by the Catholic Bishops of the United States and many others. Now the Justice Department has shifted from not defending DOMA—which is problem enough, given the duty of the executive branch to enforce even laws it disfavors—to actively attacking DOMA‟s constitutionality. My predecessor, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, and I have expressed to you in the past our strong disappointment about the direction your Administration has been moving regarding DOMA. Unfortunately the only response to date has been the intensification of efforts to undermine DOMA and the institution of marriage.
COLUMBIA — The S.C. Department of Commerce spent about $158,000 on Gov. Nikki Haley’s economic development mission to Europe in June — an amount $30,000 higher than the figure it reported earlier this month.
The difference reflects “trailing expenses” filed by the state’s office in Germany, a spokeswoman for the Commerce Department said in an email.
The final expense report released Thursday night also shows taxpayers picked up tens of thousands of dollars in costs beyond the amount the Commerce Department covered.
The state paid about $5,100 for two agents from the State Law Enforcement Division to accompany the governor and about $4,600 for the State Ports Authority’s vice president of cargo development to attend. Eight regional economic alliances, which all receive a share of tax dollars, paid an additional $64,000 to cover the costs of sending 13 of their members to the International Paris Air Show.
HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
OLYMPIC STADIUM
BERLIN
22 SEPTEMBER 2011
Dear Brother Bishops, Dear Brothers and Sisters, As I look around the vast arena of the Olympic Stadium, where you have gathered today in such large numbers, my heart is filled with great joy and confidence. I greet all of you most warmly – the faithful from the Archdiocese of Berlin and the Dioceses of Germany as well as the many pilgrims from neighbouring countries. It was fifteen years ago that Berlin, the capital of Germany, was first visited by a Pope. We all remember vividly the visit of my venerable predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, and the beatification of the Berlin Cathedral Provost Bernhard Lichtenberg – together with Karl Leisner – here in this very place.
If we consider these beati and the great throng of those who have been canonized and beatified, we can understand what it means to live as branches of Christ, the true vine, and to bring forth rich fruit. Today’s Gospel puts before us once more the image of this climbing plant, that spreads so luxuriantly in the east, a symbol of vitality and a metaphor for the beauty and dynamism of Jesus’ fellowship with his disciples and friends.
In the parable of the vine, Jesus does not say: “You are the vine”, but: “I am the vine, you are the branches” (Jn 15:5). In other words: “As the branches are joined to the vine, so you belong to me!
Before he announced his presidential bid, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) was commendably honest about his radical view of the Constitution. Perry repeatedly and proudly called Social Security and Medicare unconstitutional — even doing so on video at least once. Now that Perry wants to be president, however, he has unleashed a blizzard of falsehoods, claiming untruthfully that he never said Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional.
Last night, in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Perry showed similar disregard for the truth in claiming that he never suggested Texas might secede from the union:
HANNITY: Some people said, well, you used the term once “secession.” That’s not anything—is that something you believe?
PERRY: No, and I never used that term, at all.
HANNITY: Then why was it reported so heavily?
PERRY: I have no idea to be real honest with you, because it was never a really factual piece of reporting. It was shouted out by an individual at an event—at a Tea Party, actually—and I said “listen, America is a great country. We have no reason why we would ever dissolve this union.”
Watch it:
Perry is technically correct that he never uttered the word “secession,” but he did say that “when we came into the nation in 1845, we were a republic, we were a stand-alone nation. And one of the deals was, we can leave anytime we want. So we’re kind of thinking about that again.” Just in case Perry doesn’t remember saying that he is “thinking about” seceding, he can listen to himself saying it here:
For the record, Perry isn’t just wrong about his own previously stated views on secession, he was also wrong the first time when he claimed Texas has the right to secede from the union. Just in case the Civil War didn’t resolve this question enough to suit Perry’s unusually fluid understanding of the Constitution, the Supreme Court resolved the question just a few years later in 1869. As the Court held in Texas v. White, “[t]he union between Texas and the other States was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration, or revocation, except through revolution, or through consent of the States."
ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
TO THE GERMAN PARLIAMENT (BUNDESTAG) THE REICHSTAG
BERLIN
22 SEPTEMBER 2011
Mr President of the Federal Republic, Mr President of the Bundestag, Madam Chancellor, Mr President of the Bundesrat, Ladies and Gentlemen Members of the House,
It is an honour and a joy for me to speak before this distinguished house, before the Parliament of my native Germany, that meets here as a democratically elected representation of the people, in order to work for the good of the Federal Republic of Germany. I should like to thank the President of the Bundestag both for his invitation to deliver this address and for the kind words of greeting and appreciation with which he has welcomed me. At this moment I turn to you, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, not least as your fellow-countryman who for all his life has been conscious of close links to his origins, and has followed the affairs of his native Germany with keen interest. But the invitation to give this address was extended to me as Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, who bears the highest responsibility for Catholic Christianity. In issuing this invitation you are acknowledging the role that the Holy See plays as a partner within the community of peoples and states. Setting out from this international responsibility that I hold, I should like to propose to you some thoughts on the foundations of a free state of law.
The widow of entertainer Bob Hope and supporter of many Catholic charities died Sept. 19 at the age of 102.
By Kevin J. Jones(CNA)
Bob Hope and his wife Dolores attend a function in 1989
Getty Images: John Barr/Liaison
Dolores Hope, the widow of entertainer Bob Hope and a supporter of many Catholic charities, was a Catholic of “deep, abiding faith,” Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles said in tribute to her life.
“Both the entertainment world and the Church have lost a woman of profound faith, gifted musical talent and dedication to the betterment of peoples worldwide. The death of Dolores Hope leaves a huge void in Southern California,” he said.
In the fall of 1972, a group of us, philosophy majors all, approached our dean of studies, Father Bob Evers, with a request: Under the supervision of a faculty member, could we build a two-credit senior seminar in our last college semester around Kenneth Clark’s BBC series, “Civilization,” which had been shown on American public television. Father Evers agreed, and we had a ball. “Civilization” was the perfect way to finish a serious undergraduate liberal arts education; it brought together ideas, art, architecture and history in a visually compelling synthesis of the history of western culture that respected Catholicism’s role in shaping the West.
A Mount Pleasant business owner faces a multi-count federal indictment for a scheme to donate thousands of dollars in illegal campaign money to the re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.
Federal authorities allege in April indictments that were unsealed Monday that Jian-Yun “John” Dong took more than $30,000 from a German national and funneled the money through illegal sources from 2007-09 to support Graham’s re-election campaign.
Voters in the tiny European country of Liechtenstein have rejected a proposal to legalize abortion in cases of fetal deformity.
In a Sunday referendum, 52.3% voted to affirm article 27 of the nation’s constitution, which states that “everyone has the right to life.”
The proposal, which claimed to “help rather than punish” women who choose to have their unborn children killed, had already been voted down by the nation’s parliament in a 25-7 vote earlier this year.
It was also opposed by Alois of Liechtenstein, the nation’s hereditary prince, who exercises some degree of governing authority under his father, Hans Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein.
Last week's commemoration of the attacks on our nation ten years ago gave many of our parishioners a chance to recall their experiences on that day. Many grieved for lost loved ones. There was the inspiration of so much heroism, and accounts of how the lives of some were saved by some mundane incident such as missing a train or pausing to do some shopping on the way to work. One man's life was saved by his baby, for just before he was to leave for work at the World Trade Center, his wife went into labor.
The campaign of GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, who decisively won the California Republican state GOP straw poll Saturday, spent $25,000 on the effort — one his backers say displayed a “depth of support” and organizational strength for Paul in the 2012 campaign.
Ron Paul Receives Rock Star Welcome at CA GOP State Convention
Paul’s commanding win gave him 44.9 percent of the 883 votes cast by attendees at the 3-day state convention at the JW Marriott Hotel here. Coming in second was Texas Gov. Rick Perry with 29.3 percent, followed by a dramatic drop-off for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 8.8 percent. Rep. Michele Bachmann came in an embarrassing fourth, with 7.7 percent. The rest of the GOP presidential pack hardly made a ripple: former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (2 percent), former Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain (1.8 percent), and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich coming in even after the pizza exec (1.7 percent).
We hope that when the Holy Father visits his native Germany later this month he will have an opportunity to enlighten his German brother bishops, particularly Hans-Jochen Jaschke, on the calamity that awaits Europe unless Islamic immigration is curbed and Europeans rediscover the historic Church and renew their faith.
Clearly the Holy Father is not as naive as Bishop Jaschke, who speaks for no one but himself. As we have reported, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, the Holy Father's closest aide, has spoken about the threat posed by Islam and the denial and naivete that is so prevalent throughout the continent.
As Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan famously said, “The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers.” The German Catholic hierarchy has decided to help the Turkish invaders build their barracks, affix their bayonets, and bring their faithful soldiers into Germany.
Hamburg Bishop: Christians should support mosque construction
Auxiliary Bishop Jaschke said: “We Christians support the construction of lovely mosques. I think it is conceivable that Christians will give Muslims presents at the opening of a new mosque.”
Hamburg (kath.net/KNA) — The Hamburg auxiliary bishop Hans-Jochen Jaschke has called for the construction of new mosques in Germany. At the same time he called on Christians symbolically to support the opening of such buildings. “I think that it is conceivable that Christians will give Muslims presents at the opening of a new mosque — as a sign of sympathy, good neighbourliness and religious solidarity,” said the spokesperson for the German Bishop’s conference for interfaith dialogue as reported in Hamburg’s daily paper, Die Welt.
One possibility, for instance, would be a plaque with a verse from the Bible and one from the Koran. The churches could start a collection of money for the financing of a gift, according to the bishop. “We Christians support the construction of beautiful mosques,” says the bishop. People should feel that belief is connected to beauty and culture. However, Jaschke also warned that there are Islamic parallel societies with separate infrastructure found in the vicinity of these mosques.
As we reported last month, the Government of Canada has restored the prefix "Royal" to her Navy and Air Force. The designation, originally granted by King George V in 1911, was removed by the socialist government of Pierre Trudeau forty-three years ago. The restoration has met with overwhelming support throughout Canadian society. Most recognize the "Royal Honours" as an important link with Canada's glorious military heritage, and a link between serving military personnel today and the heroic forces who fought at Vimy, Juno, the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of Britain.
We are especially proud that our good friend, Padre Gregory Benton, author of the beautiful and inspirational Canadian blog, Piddingworth, played a key role in the campaign to return the Royal titles. The following, written by Mr. Benton and fellow campaign organizer Mr. Michael Smith, tells the story of their four-year fight to restore this important part of Canada's military heritage.
To reinstate the long-established names of our armed services supports the Canadians serving in harm's way around the world, is respectful of our veterans, and is good for our nation.
-- Colonel Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut
With the suppression in 1968 of the RCN and RCAF a significant part of Canada's military heritage was lost. Now, forty-three years later, the historic identities of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force have been restored to the Canadian Forces.
Our campaign to restore the "Royal Honours" began in 2007 by making optimal use of the tools available to us. There was an online petition, a website, a blog and the use of promotional and patriotic videos. We eventually gained access to thousands of comments and email addresses from signatories of the petition that were especially used to maximum effect during key moments of the campaign.
A reconnaissance of the matter revealed the certain minefields that lay before us: the emotional hot-button issue of 'unification', the symbolism of the prefix 'Royal', the invariable canard over 'cost' and 'effort', political and cultural biases, and even the monarchy itself. It was important for us to avoid these distractions and remain focused on the task before us: to convince the government of the virtue of restoring the Royal titles within the existing unified command of the Canadian Forces.
Not unexpectedly, we encountered some stiff resistance. When MP Laurie Hawn agreed to sponsor our petition in 2007, researchers in the Library of Parliament wrote that it would take mountains of paperwork, require royal proclamations and up to 67 statutory amendments to enact. While we were prepared to move Heaven and Earth, this torrent of misinformation was a setback that did somewhat delay our progress.
Fortunately, in due course, we received the opinion of Dr. Christopher McCreery, an authority in the matter of 'Titles and Honours', who confirmed that the RCN and RCAF were never actually abolished, that they indeed still subsisted as merged entities within the CF, and that the Minister of National Defence could simply resume usage of the titles by virtue of the executive authority already available to him.
We had thought that the then-upcoming Canadian Naval Centennial would be the catalyst to 'Give the Navy its name back!' as Senator Joseph Day so passionately argued in the media, but head of the navy Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden's 'don't rock the boat' message sent a negative chill throughout the navy that spilled over into the Naval Officers Association whose support we thought critical. Although we were perplexed by Adm. McFadden's lack of enthusiasm for our project, he may have foreseen that the restoration of our military and naval heritage and the symbolism of monarchy were mutually reinforcing in a potentially powerful way, and that the navy may not be immune to possible divisions emanating from certain quarters of the country. The admiral had 'bigger fish to fry'.
Things were moving rather slowly until, incredibly, in October 2010, a motion by Senator Bill Rompkey to change the universally unloved 'Maritime Command' to (not the Royal) 'Canadian Navy' made it onto the floor of the Senate. When the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence chose to hold hearings on the matter, we knew that things had finally come to a head. It was then that we were called by the Prime Minister's Office.
We learned that PM Harper was sympathetic to the restoration (initially this only concerned the Navy though it only made sense that the Air Force would be included as well), but that the government would remain neutral while the matter was being deliberated in the Senate. We were advised that although the petition was informative, it was imperative to demonstrate the support of most, if not all, veteran groups and ex-service associations, as a necessary precondition to government action. We were also encouraged to keep the MND and the PMO abreast of our progress.
The Senate hearings proceeded, albeit with an apparent bias in favour of 'Canadian Navy', even though most senators on the committee, led by Senators Day, Plett and Manning, argued in support of the navy's traditional designation. When we blitzed the Senate Committee with what the Chair, Sen. Pamela Wallin termed our 'orchestrated email campaign', it was to ensure that the senators were aware of the names of the thousands who had signed the petition; especially after one retired admiral testified that he had not met a single person who wanted a return to the RCN!
Over the next eight months, a collaborative relationship with the PMO developed which, while not a guarantee of success, gave us a growing confidence that culminated on December 14th, 2010, when the Senate unanimously passed a revised motion encouraging the government to adopt a title with the word 'Navy' in it. We sensed victory. The prospect of the "Royal Canadian Navy" would live to fight another day.
The imperative to win further support from stakeholder groups did, however, seem to present a rather daunting challenge. Although we undoubtedly had the overwhelming favour of veterans at the grassroots level, we were disappointed that the national executives of the Naval Officers Association, the Air Force Association and even the Royal Canadian Legion were all initially opposed, arguing that the government would not be able to defend either the effort or the cost.
Not confident that they were speaking on behalf of their membership, we communicated directly with individual branches and organisations across the country, with very positive results. This included literally dozens of associations, most especially the National Council of Veteran Associations, an umbrella organization representing 58 distinct veteran groups all led by Canada's beloved 'Mr. Veteran', Cliff Chadderton. These results would make the government sufficiently comfortable, but the effort to maximize stakeholder support would continue until the eve of the Minister's historic announcement made from HMC Dockyard Halifax on 16 August 2011.
We are enormously gratified that our campaign was successful, for our deserving veterans and those retired and serving members of the forces who have long dreamed of this day. That a solid majority of Canadians, across all spectra, support the restoration is tremendously satisfying.
May the RCN and RCAF remain impregnable fortresses from this day forward, and may the pride of our military men and women be well served because of it.
Michael Smith is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and a former naval officer.
Gregory Benton is a past Regimental Chaplain of the Royal Regiment of Canada.
Why not? Why shouldn’t I aim high? And really, is it that high? Is it really so unrealistic to ask every member of my congregation to shepherd one soul back to the sacraments and the practice of the faith in the next year? Is that so impossible, for each one to reach one, and work with them for a year and to invite them to come and learn more of the faith?
Well, I’m going to try. As a parish we have been engaged in a door-to-door evangelization campaign and that’s been going quite well, actually. Over 1500 homes have been visited and our Sunday numbers are up by 50.
Father Frank Pavone told reporters that he will seek incardination in another diocese following Bishop Patrick Zurek’s decision to end the priest’s ministry outside his diocese.
Speaking at a press conference before he celebrated Mass at Amarillo’s cathedral, Father Pavone said that “I do not foresee myself staying incardinated in Amarillo.”
The global warming theory left him out in the cold.
Dr. Ivar Giaever, a former professor with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the 1973 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday, Sept. 13, from the premier physics society in disgust over its officially stated policy that "global warming is occurring."
Almost 40 years ago, an aging Anglican clergyman told me a story about his first trip to Paris as a boy—perhaps in the 1920s. His grandfather had called him in, told him that he had a gift to be used in the French capital, and then gave my friend a small pocket mirror. The boy, puzzled, asked his grandfather what the mirror might be for. The following dialogue ensued:
“You are going to Paris, I understand?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“I suppose they’ll take you to see where they’ve buried the little monster” (meaning Napoleon, in Les Invalides).
Tom Hanks narrates the epic story of the 9/11 boatlift that evacuated half a million people from the stricken piers and seawalls of Lower Manhattan. Produced and directed by Eddie Rosenstein. Eyepop Productions, Inc.
BOATLIFT was executive produced by Stephen Flynn and Sean Burke and premiered on September 8th at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit: Remembrance/Renewal/Resilience in Washington. The Summit kicked off a national movement to foster community and national resilience in the face of future crises.
At his weekly public audience on September 14, Pope Benedict XVI assured the faithful that God hears all our prayers, even when we do not feel His presence.
The Pope continued his “school of prayer” with a meditation on Psalm 22, which he described as “an appeal addressed to a God Who appears distant, Who does not respond.” For the petitioner, crying out in distress, this is “a silence that rends the psalmist’s heart.” The Pontiff pointed out that the opening line of Psalm 22 was on the lips of Jesus on the Cross: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” In this case Jesus is calling out to his Father, fully confident that His voice will be heard—that the silence of the Almighty does not mean indifference.
In fact, the Pope continued, after that plaintive opening the Psalm goes on to say that God has always come to the help of His people in need. So despite the circumstances that press upon him and the apparent silence of God, “the psalmist’s faith and trust in the Lord remains.”
Psalm 22 eventually becomes a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, the Holy Father observed. At the point of death, the psalmist acknowledges God’s help. The Pope said: “This is the victory of faith, which can transform death into the gift of life, the abyss of suffering into a source of hope.”
Pope Benedict concluded with a summary of this lesson on prayer: “By placing all our trust and hope in God the Father, we can pray to Him with faith at all moments of anguish, and our cry for help will turn into a hymn of praise.”
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The National Catholic Register has published its updated "Catholic College Identity Guide '11,"with 31 of the nation's Catholic colleges answering these questions:
1. Did the president make the public profession of faith and take the oath of fidelity?
2. Is the majority of the board of trustees Catholic?
3. Is the majority of the faculty Catholic?
4. Do you publicly require all Catholic theology professors to have the mandatum?
5. Did all Catholic theology professors take the oath of fidelity?
6. Do you provide daily Mass and posted times (at least weekly) for individual confession?
7. Do you exclude advocates of abortion, euthanasia or cloning as commencement speakers or recipients of
honorary degrees?
8. Do you exclude sponsoring pro-abortion campus groups?
9. Do you exclude coed dorms?
10. Do your student health services exclude referrals to abortion businesses?
If a college calling itself "Catholic" is not on the list, it is probably Catholic in name only and guilty of false advertising for the sake of alumni donations. Buyer beware.
Here's the victory speech by the newly elected Republican Congressman from one of the most liberal, Democrat districts in New York City. Bob Turner, like all those Republicans elected in 2010, is a harbinger of what's in store for Obama and all his fellow travelers in 2012. It took a Jimmy Carter to deliver a Ronald Reagan. It has taken treason, corruption and betrayal on a scale never before seen in America to bring about the restoration of the republic and her Constitution. This is only the beginning.
